Grape vineyard or orchard hoeing machine



March 13, 1951 F. L. MCINTYRE 2,545,100

GRAPE VINEYARD 0R ORCHARD HOEING MACHINE Filed Aug. 29, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. F/m/V/f L. Mfi/ATYQE,

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March 13, 1951 F. L. MGINTYRE 2,545,100

GRAPE VINEYARD 0R ORCHARD HOEING MACHINE Filed Aug. 29, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. FRA /VA 4. M//V7'YA,

%%m flwm Wm ATTO/Q/VE Patented Mar. 13, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GRAPE VINEYARD OR ORCHARD I IOEING MACHINE Frank L. McIntyre, Rochester, N. Y.

Application August 29, 1947, Serial No. 771,284

7 Claims.

This invention relates to cultivating machines and more particularly to a cultivating machine for use in grape vineyards or in orchards.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved cultivating machine adapted to cultivate between rows of grapevines in a vineyard or aroundfruit trees in an orchard, or for cultivating any other crop requiring special provision for avoiding injury to plant roots durin the cultivating process.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved cultivating apparatus adapted to be attached to a tractor or a similar mobile farm unit, said apparatus being simple in construction, easy to install and eficientin operation, and being readily controlled by the operator of the unit so that cutting of plant roots during the cultivating process may be avoided.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view, partly in cross-section, of a grape vineyard or orchard cultivating apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention, said apparatus being shown mounted on a farm tractor.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the cultivating apparatus shown in Figure l.

Figure 3 is a top plan view, partly broken away, of the cultivating apparatus of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, H designates the front end portion of a self-propelled farm vehicle, such as a tractor. Secured to the lower side portions of front end It by respective pairs of bolts l2, l2 and I3, i3 engaging in respective pairs of brackets l4, l4 and i5, 45 secured to the sides'of the front end I i are laterally inclined pairs of arms, shown respectively at i6, i5 and H, I! depending below front end H and carrying transversely extending horizontal support members l8, l8. Pivotally connected by a longitudinally extending pin l9 between support members i8, i8 is a transversely extending arm 20. Each support member 18 is formed adjacent its connection to pin l9 with a vertical upstanding lug 2| and with a vertical depending lug 22. Pivotally secured to opposing lugs 2!, 2i is a top leaf spring 23 engaging the outer top surface portion of arm 20 and pivotally secured to opposing lugs 22, 22 is a bottom leaf spring 24 engaging the outer bottom surface of arm 26.

Secured to F, ii are longitudinally aligned sleeve bearings 25, 26. Journaled in bearing 25 is a sleeve 2? and journaled in said sleeve 2! and the sleeve bearing 25 is a longitudinally extending shaft 23.

Projecting inwardly from the end of top spring 23 is one arm 29 of a bent lever, the other arm thereof, shown at 30, projectingupwardly from the end of the spring. Projecting inwardly from block 42 secured to support 39.

' 44 is a hoe moldboard 45.

2 the end of the bottom spring 24 Ba lever arm 3!. The ends of arms 29 and 3! are connected by a link 32. Depending from sleeve 21 is an arm 33 which is connected by a link 34 with the top end of arm 39. Projecting inwardly from the rearward portion of sleeve 2'5 is an arm 35. Arm 35 is connected by a link 36 to one arm 37 of a foot pedal lever 33 pivotally secured to the frame of the tractor adjacent the drivers seat. By depressing the foot pedal of lever 33, sleeve 2'! is rotated counter-clockwise as viewed in Figure 2, causing lever arm 39 to be swung clockwise, whereby arm 29 and the link 32 acting together with arm 3i cause pivoted arm 28 to be rotated upwardly under the upward force exerted thereon by bottom spring 24.

The free end of arm 20 is formed with an enlarged horizontal support 39. J ournaled in support 33 is a vertical shaft 46 to which is secured a gear 4!, said gear being positioned in a U-shaped Shaft 49 carries at its lower end a bracket 43 and pivotally secured to the end of bracket 43 by a horizontal pivot pin Pivotally mounted on pivot pin 44 is a bent lever git having one arm thereof secured to the upper end of hoe member 45 at 41. The other arm 48 of bent lever 45 projects vertically upwardly adjacent block 42. Slidably mounted in block 42 i a bar 49 provided at one end with a roller 59 which abuts the vertical arm 48 of bent lever 46. Outward movement of bar 49 rotates said bent lever around the pivot pin 44 and causes hoe member 45 to be rotated to- Ward a more steeply inclined position thereof from the position shown in Figure 1 Spaced from block 42 and projecting vertically upwardly is a pin member 5 I.

Pin member 5! is rigidly secured, as by a set screw 59 to a gear sector 60 pivotally connected to sup-port 39 by a pin El, said pin 6| being at the center of the arc defined by the gear teeth of the sector. Said gear teeth are in meshing engagement with the teeth of gear 41. Rctatively carried on the upper portion of pin member 55 is a flanged bushing 62. The body portion of bushing 62 is rectangular in shape and is slidably received in a rectangular slot 63 formed in a cam member 64. Cam member 64 has a curved edge65 adapted to engage a roller 68 carried at the inner end of bar 49. Cam member 64 also has an inwardly projecting arm 66 which is pro-- V stud it! by a ball and socket connection 52 is a link 53. The other end of link 53 is connected by a ball and socket connection 54 to a depending "51 of abent hand lever 58 which is pivotally secured to the frame of the tractor adjacent foot pedal lever 38.

Whenhand. lever .58 is pulled :backcby the "operator, upward movement of arm 51 causesshaft 28 to rotate counter-clockwise, as viewed in Figure 2, and this motion is transmitted by link '53 to stud 61 to cause cam arm -66to beirotatedin a horizontal plane clockwise, as viewed in Figure 3. Pin 5! transmits a portion of the torque acting on cam arm 66 to gear sector 60, causing said gear sector to rotate counter-clockwise around pivot pin 6|, thereby rotating gear 4| clockwise and causing the hoe member 45 to be swung from its normal laterally outwardly projecting positicn to a retracted position withrespect to the tractor. At the same time, the cam edge surface 65 moves away from the inner bar roller 68, re-

leasing the bar 49 and allowing the hoe 45 toassume an inclination of minimum steepness.

Inoperation of the apparatus, when normal hceing is being performed, arm20 is horizontally 'extended, bracket 43 ,is swung to an outwardly projecting position and cam edge surface 65 engages roller 63 so that the hoe 45 is held at a steep angle. When an area is reached having plantrocts in the path of the hoe, the operator depresses foot pedal lever '38, causing the arm 20 to be elevated by spring 24, as above described, thereby lifting the hoe 45 so that it cannot deeply penetrate the soil, and the operator also pulls hand lever 58 back to thereby retract the hoe from its outwardly projecting position to -an.in-

v.wardly rotated position and at thesame time releasing the hoe so that it may freely rotate to an angle of minimum steepness as it passes over the ground. Inthis manner the operator avoids damage to shallow plant roots during the ,process of cultivating a grape vineyardor an orchard.

Whilea specific embodiment ofacultivating apparatusforuse in grape vineyards or orchards has been disclosed in the foregoing description,

.it will be understood that various modifications on said frame, means carried by said frame for raising and lowering said arm, a mold board supporting bracket rotatably mounted on the outer end of said arm, a mold board rockable on said bracket, means for rotating said bracket on said arm, and means carried by said arm engaging said bracket and said mold board operable upon rotation of said bracket forchanging the angle'of inclination of said mold board relative to'said arm.

2. A hceing machine of the 'kind described comprising a supportingframe for attachment to :a tractor, a laterally extending arm rockable on saidiframe, a mold board supporting bracket rotatably mounted on the outer end of said arm,

a mold board rockable onsaid bracket, means 'for rotating said bracket .onsaid arm, and 'cam means carried by said bracket engaging said :mold board operable upon rotation of said bracket for changing'the angle ofinclinationof said '-rmold :board relative to said arm.

*3. A hoeing machine of the kind described com- :prisinga supporting frame for attachment to a iiiicomprising a supporting frame for attachment tractor, a laterally extending arm rockable on said frame, a mold board supporting bracket mounted onzth outeriend of said arm for horizontal rotation,"means carried bysaid frame and engaging said bracket for selectively varying the rotated position of said bracket on said arm, a mold board rockably mounted on said bracket for vertical swinging movement for changing the angle frame, a mold board supporting bracket rotatable on the outer end of said arm, means carried by :said :frame and engaging said bracket for selectively-rotating said bracket, a mold board rockable on said ,bracket for swinging movement for changing the angle of inclination of said mold board relative. to said arm, and cam means rotatable. on said bracket engaging said mold board for rocking said mold board upon rotation. of said bracket.

5. A hceing machine of the kind described :comprising a supporting frame for attachment to .a'tractor,'a laterally extending arm on saidiframe, -a mold board supporting bracket rotatable on the outer end of said arm, means carried by said fram and engaging said bracket for selectively rotating said bracket, a mold board rockable on said bracket for swinging movement for changing the'angle of inclination of said mold board relativeto said'arm, a cam member on said armyand a cam follower rotatable with said bracket opera- ".tively, associated with said mold board for rocking said mold board upon rotation of said bracket.

6.:A' hceing machine of the kind described to a tractor, a laterally extending arm on said frame, a mold board supporting bracket rotatably mounted on the outer end of said arm, a gear .fixed to said bracket, a gear segment pivotal on said arm engaging said. gear for rotating said bracket, means for pivoting said gear segment, a mold board rockable on said bracket, a lever arm on'said mold board, a cam member carried by said segment pivoting means, and a cam follower carried by said rotatable bracket engaging said cam and said lever arm for rocking said mold 'board upon rotation thereof with said bracket.

7. A hceing machine of the kind described comprising a supporting frame for attachment to a tractor, a mold board supporting bracket rotatable on said frame, means carried by said frame and engaging said bracket for selectively rotating said bracket, a mold board rockable on said bracket for swinging movement for changing th angle of inclination of said mold board relative to said frame, and interengaging cam means carried by said bracket engaging said mold board for rocking said mold board upon rotation of said bracket.

FRANK L. MCINTYRE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS QNumber Name Date 2,185,634 Jacobs et al Jan. 2, .1940 2,206,283 Jacobs et a1 a- July 2,194!) 2,442,198 Dawley May 125, 1948 

